Sheet-metal can.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE LEES, -OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 HIMSELF, AND CHARLES C.PIOVEY, O F BAINBRIDGE, NEW YORK.

SHEET-METAL GAN.

SPECIFIG'ATION forming art of Letters Patent N0. 665,020, da1aeol January 1, 1901.

Application filed August 18, 1899. Renewed June 8, 1900. Seria.l N0. 19,623. (N0 model.)

T0 all whom it may concern:

Be in known that I, GEORGE LEES, a, eitizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the countay of Cook and Staate of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvemenb in Sheet-Metal Cans of whioh 1she following is a speeifioation.

Various articles for food have heretaofore been steam-oooked and put up in oans from whieh the air has been exhausted, and the eovers of nhe eans have been held in p1ace solely by atmospheric pressure. With these eans it has been difificult 130 insure a. 1qight seal and also 120 open the ean when in was desired 110 remove the oonents for use; and the objeot of my present invenbion is 120 produoe a ean where the seal shall be es perfecb as possible a.nd where the eover ean be removed with facility and wi1zhout inj uring the can.

In oarrying out 1ny-invention the can-body may be of any desired shape.

The upper edge of the ean-body is turned. over and ben1: downward and outward as a.

flange inbo 13he Segment of a oirele, and the make a hemispherical eover and plaoe a ba1l in the eup. When 11he air is exhaus1zed by any suitable means fronri the can, the atmospherio pressure holde Ehe oover down tigh13ly upon Ehe rubber gasket, and the rubber gaske1: is sea'oed in the segment-flange of the body, so tha.la a bight joinn is efieelsed. The vaeuum within the ean holde the ball in the cup of the cover firmly 130 its seat.

T0 open the can, 113 is only neeessary 110 remove 1she hemispherioal cover over the ba1l and with 1ahe finger roll Ehe ball 011: its seat 110 admit the air into the ean, so as to be able to immediately am]. readily liftz the eover from the body of 1:he ean.

In the drawings, Figures 1 and 2 represent elevations of forms of eans illustrating my invention, and Figs. 3 and 4 are vertieal seetions a1: 1zhe upper end of 11he cans shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The oan-bodies a may be of any desired so 'uhzit both fianges fit; upon the gasket c and largely eonform thereto.

The cover is cpped a11f and centrally perfomted, Fig. 3 showing a slightly-difierent form of eup 130 Fig. 4:; but I do no1; limih myse1f to the form of onp. In bhis cupped porion of 1Jhe cover I plaee the ba1l h, and I employ a hemispherieal eover i, fitting over the hell and passing down around and upon the edge of the eupped portion of the oover. This hemispherioal eover may be serewed down 110 plaee 0x may simply fit snugly over the eupped-up portion f, the objeeb of the hemispherical eover bei ng to prevent the accidental displaeemenl; of the ball h. When the air is exhausted from 1;he can by any wellknown o1 eonvenient method or apparatuS, 'vhe oover is he1d firmly down against. 1she rubber gasket, and ehe said gasket is sealaed upon the segment-flange b,so as '00 effecb an adrtigh1i elosure of the ean, am]. tzhe vaeuum in I1he ean holds the ball h L0 its seat; in 1she cupped portion f of Ehe oover, Ehe same being proteoted by ohe hemispherieal cover 11. The eans are 130 be shipped in fihiS form wibh the food pvodueo's oonbained thereinand when i13 is desired 130 remove the eo ntents of the.

can this may be efieoted witahoub in any way destroying 'he oan-body o1 eover by simply removing 01 lifting off be hemispherical cover, whieh oan be done wi1ah any sorewdriver er sirnilar instrument, and then rolling 1ahe ball h off of its sea1; with 13he finger, so as 110 allow 1ahe air 110 enter the ean throug"h bhe perforation in 1zhe base of bhe oupped-up portion. The cover may ben be a1: once removed intao1s 110 give a.eeess 110 tshe eontents of the can.

I do no1; limit myself 1:0 the use of the IOO cupped-up portsion, the ball, and the hemispherical cover, because it is evident Lha1s any sharp-pointed instrumenb may be driven into bhe uop of the can t0 make a 1ninube opening through whieh air can enter, so filmt uhe cover may be removed.

I elaim as my invenionl. The combination With 11110 body and cover of a sbeet-metal can, of coinciding edge segmen'na] benn flanges to said cover and body and a rubber gaske between the same, substxantia1ly as set forth.

L. A sheet-metal can comprising a body Wibh Ehe upper edge turned over d0wnward and outward t;0 fonn a. segmenual flange, a gasket 0f rubber 01' si1nila.r material seated upon the segmental flange, a cover having is edge turned downward as a segmental flzmge and coineiding with the segrnentaal flange of the body and resting upon the gasket thereon substantially as set forth.

8 The eombinat-ion wih the bodyand cover of a sheet-metal ean, of coinciding edge segmental bent flanges and a rubber gasket between the same, the cover 0f the can having a cupped-up perforated portion and a ball restiug in said cupped-up portion and an unatta.ched removable protec'oor above Ehe said ball to prevent the accidental shifbing 0f the sarne, subsLantially as sei; forth.

4:. A sheet-metal can comprisinga body winh the upper edge turned over downward and outward 150 form a segwnenbal flamge, a gasket of rubber 0x simihu material seaed upon the segmental flange, a eover having ir.s edge turned dowuward as a segmental fiange und coineiding wit.h the segmental flange 0f the body and resbing upon 1;he ga.skeb thereon, a cupped-up 01 perforated portion formed in Ehe cover, a ball semted in the cupped-up p01= bion and a hexnis pherieal unattached removable cover fitl3ing upon the cupped-up portion and over the ball t0 protecu the same, substantially as sei; forLh.

Signed by 1ne this 8th day of August, 1899.

- GEO. LEES.

Witnesses:

O. L. CRUMP, IRVING J. TILLMAN. 

